2010 Estate Chardonnay

Bright yellow-gold. A powerfully scented bouquet evokes Meyer lemon, poached pear, vanilla, smoky minerals and chamomile, with hints of anise and iodine emerging with aeration. Palate-staining orchard fruit and lemon curd flavors are deepened notes of candied fig and buttered toast while maintaining their energy. Closes on a smoky note, with excellent focus, breadth and sappy persistence.

On a mountain top 2000 ft above Saratoga. 2.2 t/acre. Fermented and aged 10 months on the lees in French oak, 50% new. Full malo.  pH 3.43, TA 7.5 g/l.   Much sweeter smelling than most in this line up, honeyed, buttery. Ripe apples and apricots. It tastes softer than some but it must be the richness of fruit and the effect of the lees/oak because the numbers paint a different picture. Tasting moderator Jon Bonné described this as one of the most powerful and long-lived of CA Chardonnays – in which case first appearances are deceptive in terms of ageing potential and I may have been too cautious. Rich and broad and creamy. Fat but still has freshness. Long too. (JH)

Mount Eden's 2010 Chardonnay is stunning. Honeysuckle, tangerine, apricot, and crème brulee literally jump from the glass A vivid, exotic wine, the 2010 is constantly changing in the glass. Stylistically, the 2010 is a little richer than Mount Eden fans are used to, but all the elements are in the right place. The 2010 verges on the edge of tropical aromas and flavors that are quite rare for young Mount Eden Chardonnays. Ideally, the 2010 is best left alone for a few years to allow some of the baby fat to drop off. I imagine it will always be a bit on the exotic side.